Cannabis Section
"Raising the Bar Higher"
Welcome to LACBA’s New Cannabis Section
We are “Raising the Bar Higher” and invite you to become a member and join us at a variety of events throughout the year.
Read Our Public Comment Letter:
The Cannabis Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association submitted a Public Comment letter concerning the Emergency Regulations proposed by the Department of Cannabis Control on September 15, 2021. Click here for the letter.
Our Next Event:
October 14
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
LACBA Zoom Webinar
Video:
Virtual "Brown Bag" Lunch – A Joint Session of the Cannabis and Barristers/Young Attorneys Sections
May 13, 2021
Join The Cannabis Pro Bono Panel
LACBA’s Cannabis Section is pleased to announce the development of a Cannabis Pro Bono panel, administrated by LACBA’s Lawyer Referral Service, SmartLaw.
This is a social equity project sponsored by LACBA and the LACBA Cannabis Section in concert with the City of Los Angeles, the social equity community of Los Angeles, and SmartLaw. Our objective here is to provide socially conscious limited pro bono legal resources to cannabis business communities that are underserved and unrepresented.
We need your help to facilitate legal services for this limited pro bono panel. Here, you can be a member of the pro bono panel, provide limited pro bono services to clients, charge fees for additional legal services, and develop future legal service relationships with cannabis business stakeholders.
SmartLaw is waiving dues for attorneys who wish to participate in this panel. Interested candidates will need to meet qualifications standards (see below), must have requisite E&O insurance, must agree to the SmartLaw Rules of Operation, and must be members of the State Bar of California.
You can begin the application process here. If you have any questions about the application process, please feel free to contact SmartLaw: SmartLaw@lacba.org, (213) 896-6476.
Cannabis Pro Bono Panel Requirements
Cannabis Pro Bono Panel Application
Cannabis Section
SmartLaw Rules of Operation
We are thrilled about this innovative opportunity to advance justice, including social justice, within the cannabis community. It is also a great opportunity to develop business as practitioners within the area of Cannabis law.
LACBA Leadership and the Cannabis Section
PREVIOUS EVENTS:
New Streaming Video Now Available!
Join the Cannabis Law Section for a detailed briefing on the recently adopted amendments to the City of Los Angeles cannabis ordinance (effective July 1, 2021). The changes currently in effect impact all current applicants and future licensees. Two of LA’s most established cannabis attorneys, Ariel Clark and Yelena Katchko, will discuss the ordinance changes and engage with attendees for a round of Q&A, moderated by Liz Barket Kremser.
Briefing: City of Los Angeles Cannabis Ordinance Updates
Click Here to Access the March 10, 2021 On Demand Program
A Conversation with Cat Packer, Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Executive Director of the LA City Department of Cannabis Regulation
Join the Cannabis Law Section for a Q&A Discussion with Cat Packer, Executive Director of the LA City Department of Cannabis Regulation. What is DCR prioritizing in 2021? What changes, if any, will we see to the social equity program? What can LA's cannabis business community expect in 2021? Please join us as we discuss these topics, and many others.
Panelists:
Cat Packer, Executive Director, LA City Department of Cannabis Regulation
Ariel Clark, Clark Howell LLP
Monday, November 2, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
CLE: 1.0 hr General MCLE Credit
Navigating Ethical Concerns While Representing Cannabis Businesses
Join LACBA’s Cannabis Section as we ‘Raise the Bar Higher’ with a lively and engaging panel discussion about ethics and competency in the legal cannabis industry. The panel, composed of attorneys with years of experience representing owners and operators of legal cannabis business will discuss ethical issues for attorneys representing cannabis businesses in light of the fact that cannabis remains a federally illegal substance and in light of recent guidance from the State Bar of California that allows attorneys to practice in the field if they follow established criteria. The panel will also discuss ethical issues unique to representing hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) businesses given the continuing murky legal status of CBD and certain states’ prohibitions on some CBD products. The panel will finally address various competence issues for cannabis attorneys, ethical pitfalls that may arise during representation, and other practical guidance on responding to unique client issues for cannabis businesses.
Speakers:
Brian Ross, Ross Legal Corporation
Ian Stewart, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Lesa Slaughter, Slaughter Law Group PC
Moderator:
Meital Manzuri, Manzuri Law
< more information >
Cooking with Cannabis
November 12 at 6 pm via Zoom
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Join LACBA’s Cannabis Section as we continue to Raise the Bar Higher with a one-of-a-kind event. This time, the Cannabis Section will get cooking with cannabis. This unique and special event is made possible by Pantry Food Co., a premier cannabis food and wellness brand. Pantry’s acclaimed chef, Mike Magliano, will demonstrate and demystify how to cook with cannabis. Chef Mike is a former sous chef from Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, opened the Craft restaurants in Los Angeles and Dallas for Tom Colicchio, became Corporate Chef of the Soho Houses, and now has joined Pantry.
Chef Mike will demonstrate three recipes, including a vegan option and a delicious dessert.Chef Mike then will be available for a live Q&A with Paul Rosen, co-founder of Pantry Food Co., pioneer in the cannabis industry, and retired attorney.
You can learn more about Pantry at https://pantryfoodco.com/
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Thursday, November 12, 2020, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Join LACBA’s Cannabis Section as we continue to Raise the Bar Higher with a one-of-a-kind event. This time, the Cannabis Section will get cooking with cannabis. This unique and special event is made possible by Pantry Food Co., a premier cannabis food and wellness brand. Pantry’s acclaimed chef, Mike Magliano, will demonstrate and demystify how to cook with cannabis. Chef Mike is a former sous chef from Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, opened the Craft restaurants in Los Angeles and Dallas for Tom Colicchio, became Corporate Chef of the Soho Houses, and now has joined Pantry. Chef Mike will demonstrate three recipes, including a vegan option and a delicious dessert. Chef Mike then will be available for a live Q&A with Paul Rosen, co-founder of Pantry Food Co., pioneer in the cannabis industry, and retired attorney.
You can learn more about Pantry at https://pantryfoodco.com/
OCTOBER 7, 2020
All Cannabis Is Local: Understanding the Complex Intersection of Cannabis and Real Estate
Join LACBA’s Cannabis Section as we “Raise the Bar Higher” with a lively and engaging panel discussion about complicated real estate issues facing the state-legal cannabis industry, such as how landlords can protect themselves due to the federally illegal nature of tenants’ businesses; regulatory disclosure and compliance requirements for landlords and tenants; and zoning, permitting, and licensing concerns for cannabis tenants that should be considered prior to entering into a lease. The panel will also discuss the impact of COVID-19 on cannabis leases, specifically the impact of force majeure provisions in leases and how tenants are modifying operations to comply with new COVID-19 requirements.
Click here to register.
AUGUST 25, 2020
Trailblazing in Cannabis and Hemp Trademarks
A LACBA live webinar event
CLE: 1.0 hr General MCLE Credit
Price: Free
The Cannabis Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association will be discussing developing state, federal, and international trademark protection strategies; enforcement; litigation; and licensing. This presentation is appropriate for attorneys advising cannabis and hemp clients looking to stay up-to-date on the latest trademark developments, as well as trademark practitioners interested in expanding into the cannabis and hemp space.
< more information >
Sponsorship opportunities available, contact: joshua.mandell@akerman.com
SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
In the Deal Trenches
A LACBA live webinar event
CLE: 1.5 hr General MCLE Credit
Price: Free
The Cannabis Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association is running a series of panels about the social, policy, business, and regulatory sides of this evolving space. Business topics include mergers, acquisitions, financings, incentives, public offerings, and compensation. There will be an opportunity for you to question colleagues about the problems you encounter and challenges your clients face.
< more information >
Sponsorship opportunities available, contact: joshua.mandell@akerman.com
MAY 26, 2020
Quarterly Salon: Getting In The Weeds With Cannabis Litigation: Claims, Strategies, Challenges, Finding Resolution
A LACBA live webinar event
CLE: 1.0 hr General MCLE Credit
Price: Free
The Cannabis Section will “Raise the Bar Higher” with a lively discussion focused on cannabis litigation. We will discuss trends in litigation, including CBD class actions, contract/partnership disputes, IP, policy litigation with state/cities. We will also discuss how to avoid litigation through best drafting practices, lessons from the trenches unique to cannabis, and a discussion about different litigation forums: arbitration, state court, and federal court.
Sponsorship opportunities available, contact: joshua.mandell@akerman.com
We’d like to thank the sponsor of this event:
February 11, 2020
Photos from LACBA’s Quarterly Cannabis Salon
Demystifying LA City's Cannabis Licensing & Regulatory Program: How did we get here & where are we going?
Are there cannabis-related topics you'd like to learn more about? Do you have comments or questions about our section?
Please contact us via this form.
Purpose
California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 and recently adopted a comprehensive and complex regulatory scheme covering the cultivation, manufacture, testing, transportation, and sale of cannabis for both medicinal and adult recreational use. In addition, communities throughout California independently regulate commercial cannabis according to their own priorities. At the same time, possession and commercial production, distribution, and sale of cannabis remain unlawful under federal law. LACBA’s Cannabis Section will provide top-tier continuing legal education concerning the legal cannabis industry and its many complex issues, including: state and local regulatory compliance, corporate and tax structuring, banking, real estate, labor and employment, intellectual property, insurance, litigation, and ethics. The Cannabis Section will also serve as a source of expertise for other attorneys, government bodies, and the news media on issues regarding cannabis laws, regulations and developments, and serve as a forum for the consideration of public policies dealing with or regarding cannabis generally. The Cannabis Section will provide regular networking opportunities for legal professionals and industry leaders and will assist and promote the activities of LACBA.
A summary of our regularly planned events is below:
Social Mixers
Join the Cannabis Section at seasonal networking mixers that will rotate around Los Angeles. The Section will host seasonal mixers at locations where attendees can have fun while getting to know each other. Locations will include rooftop bars and restaurant patios/event spaces. Section members will receive special member admission pricing. [Note: Please let us know if you have connections with locations that you think will be ideal for such gatherings.]
Brown-Bag Gatherings
Join the Cannabis Section at seasonal gatherings that rotate around Los Angeles. Members of the Executive Committee will host informal gatherings where members of the Cannabis Section can bring a brown-bag lunch and get to know each other while having open conversations on topics of interest to them. These no-charge gatherings will provide members with the opportunity to casually discuss topics of interest while socializing.
Seasonal Heady Salons
Inspired by high-society salons of the past where participants increased their knowledge through conversations and presentations, the Cannabis Section will host seasonal participatory conversations on specific topics of interest to the legal cannabis industry. Because developments in the legal cannabis industry happen so fast, the Salons will be up-to-the-moment conversations on one or more timely topics announced shortly before the event. Some Salons will include special guests and presentations. Dinner and dessert will be available to all attendees. Section members will receive special member admission pricing.
Annual Symposium
Join the Cannabis Section at our annual educational symposium. The Cannabis Section will host a multi-panel, half-day event with top-tier panelists. The Annual Symposium will provide attendees with a higher education in legal cannabis. Panelists will be chosen for their knowledge and expertise. The Annual Symposium will include great opportunities to meet and network with others in attendance and earn CLE hours. Section members will receive special member admission pricing.
For more information:
Chair - Joshua Mandell: joshua.mandell@akerman.com
Vice Chair, Programming - Ariel Clark: aclark@clarkhowell.com
Vice Chair, Communications - Nicole Phillis: NicolePhillis@dwt.com
Vice Chair, Membership – Griffen Thorne: griffen@harrisbricken.com